Process for coiling sliver in cans



May 15, 1956 R. c. WlLKlE 2,745,146

PROCESS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Dec.6, 1947 y 15, 9 R. c. WELKIE 2,745,146

PROCESS FOR COILING SLIVER IN CANS Original Filed Dec. 6, 1947 2Sheets-Sheet 2 mrrzeg United States Patent PROCESS FOR COILING SLIVER INCANS Robert C. Wilkie, Andover, Mass., assignor to Pacific Mills,Lawrence, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original applicationDecember 6, 1947, Serial No. 790,158, now Patent No. 2,598,738, datedJune 3, 1952. 12813122?) and this application May 23, 1952, Serial No.

9 Claims. c1. 19-159 This invention relates to a process for coilingsliver in cans. Its object is to pull the sliver into the can and tocompact it in the can in evenly symmetrical helical coils uniformlydisposed from the bottom to the top of the can whereby the can is filledwith the maximum volume and weight of sliver.

In the use of cans, known in the art as sliver cans, the can is given ahorizontal orbital motion without rotation underneath a rotating coilerhead which carries the sliver through a tube from the calender rolls anddeposits the sliver in coils in the can. In the case of cotton and othercellulosic fibers, the sliver, compacted by the calender rolls, readilypasses into and through the tube of the coiler head into the can. Wool,on the other hand, is resilient and springy with the result that onleaving the calender rolls the sliver expands to such an extent that itis difiicult for it to enter and pass through the tube of the coilerhead. Efforts have been made in certain types of Wool coiling mechanismsto overcome this difiiculty by introducing devices under the calenderrolls to confine the sliver closely until it enters the tube of thecoiler head and by employing devices operated beneath the coiler head.But these devices add complications to the machine and have not beenentirely successful. An objection to former methods is that the actualcoiling of the wool sliver does not take place immediately on thedelivery of the sliver into the can.

The wool sliver is whirled around in the can and no actual coiling takesplace until the material fills the can sufliciently to exert an upwardpressure against'the coiler head. Of the total amount of wool placed inthe can, the part actually coiled comprises only about one-third.

I overcome these objections by gripping the untwisted wool sliver assoon as its end is delivered through the tube on the coiler head and bypulling the wool sliver under light tension through the tube, ashereinafter set forth. I p

A preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings in which:

Fig. l is an end view showing the calender rolls, coiler head anddriving means for the same;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the sliver can;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sliver can;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of the spring device shown in Pigv 2;and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the form of the coils ofsliver.

The wool sliver, taken as typical of the resilient and springy fibersfor purposes of description of my process,

is fed to the calender rolls 1 and 2, Fig. 1, from a source of supply.It is compressed and delivered by thecalender rolls to the tube 3 on therotating coiler head plate 4 through which tube it passes to a hole 6 inthe coiler head plate 4. As soon as it passes through this hole it isgripped by the nip of the plate 7, Fig. 2, at the top of the sliver can10 against the bottom of the plate 4 2,745,146 Patented May 15, 1956wool against the bottom of the plate 4.

The sliver can 10, Fig. 2, which may be one of a group or series of cansis supported on a table (not shown) which is given an orbital motion ina horizontal plane by mechanism which is known in the art and need notbe described.

The sliver can 10 is offset, i. e. eccentrically positioned, withrespect to the coiler head, and as the orbital motion of the can is at amuch slower speed than the rotation of the coiler head, the wool sliveris deposited in the can in a helix of superposed and nearlycircularcoils tangential to the inside surface of the cylindrical canand passing beyond the center of'the can, Fig. 5.

To this end the hole 6 in the plate 4 is disposed close to the edge ofthe plate and the rotation of the plate brings the hole close to theprojection of the inside surface of the can and the distance from theinner edge of the hole in the plate to the axis of rotation of the plateis so related that the radius of the can that this edge of the holepasses beyond the projected axis of the can.

The coiling of the wool sliver is started immediately as soon as itpasses through the hole 6 in the coiler plate by means next to bedescribed.

A ring 11 is vertically movable within the can, Fig. 2,

and on the ring rests the plate 7 constituting a circular false bottom,which is held on the ring by a circumferential rib. To three pointsequally spaced around the lower outside periphery of ring 11 areattached the ends of cords 13 which pass around pulley sheaves 14 whichare mounted on pins in openings at equal intervals around and at pointsjust below the rim of the can. A cord 13 passing over each sheave isfastened to a helically grooved drum lS, Fig. 4. One end of a coilspring 16, contained within the drum, is fastened to the drum and theother end is fastened to a pin 17 on which the drum is mounted. When thering is in its uppermost position at the start of the operation offilling the can with wool sliver, the springs 16 are under sufficienttension to press the plate 7 against the bottom of the coiler head plate4 with such force as to grip the wool delivered through the hole 6 inthe coiler plate 4 against that plate and the rotation of the plate 4starts to pull the wool through the tube 3 under a light tension and tocarry it around in a circle with the rotation of the coiler head.

I have found that for best results the plate 7 should be pressed againstthe bottom of the coiler head plate 4 with a pressure of about 15pounds, that is, each spring should exert a pull of about 5 pounds, whenthe plate 7 is in its uppermost position against the bottom of the plate4.

As the plate 7 is lowered by the accumulation thereon of coiled wool,the springs pull on the cords to maintain an upward pressure on theplate 7 which increases as the plate descends, thereby compensating forthe additional weight of the coiled wool on the plate and providing thedesired upward pressure of the coiled Wool against the bottom of thecoiler plate 4 to grip the wool against the plate so that the woolsliver is pulled through the differential, causes theuniform delivery ofthe wool sliver from the calender rolls through the tube into the can.

The mechanism by which I prefer to provide this speed differential is asfollows:

Attached to the coiler plate 4, Fig. l, is a peripheral gear 41 which isrotated about its axis by a gear 21) which is attached to a shaft 21 towhich is attached a bevel gear 22 driven by a bevel gear 23 on shaft 24to which is attached the sprocket wheel 25. The latter is driven by asprocket chain 26 which is driven by a sprocket 27 fast on the shaft ofthe calender roll 2. A sprocket wheel 23 fast on this shaft is driven bya sprocket chain 29 from a sprocket 30 fast on the shaft 31 which isdriven by any suitable source of power (not shown). The calender roll 1is geared to the calender roll 2 so that these rolls have the samesurface speed.

When the linear speed of the inner edge of the hole 6 in the coiler headplate is from 2 to 15% greater than the speed of the wool sliverdelivered by the calender rolls, determined by the peripheral speed ofthe calender rolls, the wool sliver from the beginning to the end of theoperation is pulled through the tube 3 under light tension smoothly andcontinuously and is wound in compact helically laid coils on the plate 7in the can so that the entire can is filled with compacted coils of Wooltangential to the inside surface of the can and extending beyond theaxis of the can as shown in Fig. 5.

The desired ratio of the linear speed of the inner edge of the hole inthe coiler head plate to the surface speed of the calender rolls may beachieved in any suitable manner. For example, I may vary the number ofteeth in the gear 20 with relation to the number'of teeth on the gear41, or I may vary the number of teeth on the sprocket wheel 27 on theshaft of the calender roll 2 with relation to the number of teeth on thesprocket 25.

As an example, assume that the calender rolls are 2 inches in diameterand are rotating at 240 R. P. M., that there are 17 teeth on thesprocket 27, 22 teeth on the sprocket 25, that there are 20 teeth on thegear 20 and 108 teeth on the gear 41 and that bevel gears 22 and 23 areof the same size. Under these conditions the peripheries of the calenderrolls run at a speed of approximately 1500 in. per minute and the inneredge of the hole in the coiler head rotates at a linear speed ofapproximately 1540 in. per minute or about 2.8% faster than the speed atwhich the wool is delivered by the calender rolls.

I have found that the speed differential of from 2 to 15 between thesurface speed of the calender rolls and the greater linear speed of theinner edge of the hole in the coiler head plate is critical and that ifthe differential is reduced below this lower limit the wool will not bepulled through the tube and be coiled properly in the can. Preferablythe speed differential should not ordinarily exceed 7 /2%, though, if asomewhat smaller strand is desired or may be permitted, the differentialmay be increased to or even to If the differential is greater than 15%the tension on the wool sliver, which is untwisted, is apt to break it.

When the mode of operation above described is followed, the can isfilled from bottom to top with a compact mass of helically arrangedcoils. For example, pounds of wool sliver can be filled into a can 12in. in diameter and 36 in. high, compared with a maximum of 8 or 10pounds by previous methods.

The present application is 'a division of my prior application SerialNo. 790,158, filed December 6, 1947, now Patent No. 2,598,738 grantedJune 3, 1952.

I claim:

1. The method of filling a sliver-can compactly from top to bottom withsliver through a rotating coiler head having an opening thereineccentric of its axis of rotation which comprises delivering the sliverfrom a point along the axis of rotation of the coiler head continuouslyto the opening in the head at a predetermined speed, continuouslyrotating the coiler head to move the portion of the sliver within theopening in a circular path at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than saidpredetermined speed of delivery, and pressing the sliver issuing fromthe opening between the under surface of said coiler head and arelatively stationary surface within the can, whereby the sliver ispulled through the opening and into the can.

2. The method of feeding a resilient and springy sliver from a rotatingcoiler head having an opening therein eccentric of its axis of rotationinto a sliver can below the head which comprises delivering the sliverfrom a point along the axis of rotation of the coiler head to theopening in the head at a predetermined speed, rotating the coiler headto move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular pathat a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed ofdelivery, pressing the sliver immediately it issues from the openingbetween the under surface of the head and a relatively stationarysurface within the can, thus pulling the sliver under tension throughthe opening and into the can, and thereafter continuously during thefilling of the can maintaining tension in the sliver passing throughsaid opening by continuation of said pressing and said rotation of thehead.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the sliver in the can is maintainedcontinuously during filling under compression depthwise of the can.

4-. The method of filling a resilient and springy sliver into a slivercan through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respectto the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation anopening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver at apredetermined speed into the opening in the head, and rotating the headat a speed such as to move the opening at a linear speed 2% to 15%greater than said predetermined speed and inhibiting relative rotationbetween the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from the opening,to cause the sliver after it issues from the opening to be pulled with aforce suificient to pull the sliver under tension from the opening andinto the can but insufiicient to break the sliver.

5. The method of feeding a resilient and springy sliver into a slivercan through a coiler head located above the can, rotating with respectto the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotation anopening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver into theopening in the head at a predetermined speed, rotating the coiler headto move the portion of the sliver within the opening in a circular pathat a linear speed 2% to 15 greater than said predetermined speed andinhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of thesliver issuing from said opening, thus pulling the sliver under tensionthrough the opening and into the can.

6. The method of filling a sliver can compactly from top to bottom withsliver through a coiler head located above the can, rotating withrespect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotationan opening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver at apredetermined speed into the opening in the head and rotating the headat a speed such as to move the opening at a linear speed 2% to 15%greater than said predetermined speed and inhibiting relative rotationbetween the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from the opening,to cause the sliver after it issues from the opening to be pulled with aforce sufficient to pull the sliver under tension through the openingbut insufiicient to break the sliver, and thereafter continuously duringthe filling of the can delivering the sliver to the opening andmaintaining said speed differential to maintain sufiicient tension inthe sliver passing through the discharge end of said opening to causeuniform passage of the sliver through theopening but insutficient tobreak the sliver by continuation of said pulling upon the sliver afterit has issued from said opening.

7. The method of filling a sliver can compactly from top to bottom withsliver through a coiler head located above the can, rotating withrespect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotationan opening into the can, which comprises delivering the sliver from apoint along the axis of rotation of the coiler head continuously to theopening in the head at a predetermined speed, continuously rotating thecoiler head to move the portion of the sliver within the opening in acircular path at a linear speed 2% to 15% greater than saidpredetermined speed of delivery, and continuously inhibiting relativerotation between the can and the portion of the sliver issuing from saidopening, whereby the sliver is pulled through the opening and into thecan.

8. The method of filling a sliver can compactly from top to bottom withsliver through a coiler head located above the can, rotating withrespect to the can and having therein eccentric of its axis of rotationan opening into the can which comprises delivering the sliver from apoint along the axis of rotation of the coiler head into the opening inthe head at a predetermined speed, rotating the coiler head to move theportion of the sliver within the opening in a circular path at a linearspeed 2% to 15% greater than said predetermined speed of delivery andinhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of thesliver issuing from said opening, thus pulling the sliver under tensionthrough the opening and into the can, and thereafter continuously duringthe filling of the can maintaining sufiicient tension in the sliverpassing through said opening to cause uniform passage of the sliverthrough said opening by continuing said rotation of the coiler head andinhibiting relative rotation between the can and the portion of thesliver issuing from said opening.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the sliver in the can is maintainedcontinuously during filling under compression depthwise of the can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSWeinberger Mar. 28, 1939 Wilkie July 16, 1949

